2019 is winding down, and bloggers are already looking back on their favorite releases from the year. But at Pass The Mic we’re not ready to wrap things up just yet, because there are still so many new releases from this past month that we’re excited about! November was an amazing month for Twin Cities music — in the past four weeks, we’ve gotten new albums from ahem, VIAL, 4th Curtis, and FPA (whose track “Unicorns” I haven’t been able to get out of my head!). Keep reading to find out what else we’ve been loving this month, and check out the full playlist below.
November started off in the best possible way — with a new album from ahem. The trio joined me on the PTM podcast to talk about writing songs for their first full-length album, Try Again. Like all of their releases, Try Again is full of playful, energetic, and explosive rock songs that conjure the youthful innocence of climbing trees and taking the long way home just for fun.
VIAL may have just put out their first album, but the Minneapolis music scene is already buzzing about this new band. The group has been together for less than a year, but are quickly winning over local fans with their Riot Grrrl and punk influenced indie rock. Their debut album Grow Up, released on Brace Cove Records, is brief — it’s only 19 minutes long — but packs a punch with fiery riffs and punchy lyrics about breakups, therapy, and the struggles of becoming an adult.
In an era of overstimulation and constant notifications, Romantic States’ music feels refreshingly minimalist. On Nov. 6, the Baltimore duo released the album Ballerina. The isolated guitar line and vocals that open “Mike’s Property” remind me of the effortlessly cool drawl of Kim Gordon, but on Ballerina, Romantic States create a sound that is uniquely their own.
One of my most anticipated releases of November was Invisible Ax, the latest EP from St. Paul’s 4th Curtis. The EP is the first collection of songs that the band has put out since their debut album, 2017’s I Won the Pageant — but after listening, I can tell you that the wait was absolutely worth it. Invisible Ax is a trip through some of history’s most notorious names, including Julius Caesar, Lizzie Borden, and Marie Antoinette, that drops the protagonists of some of our oldest stories into 4th Curtis’ whimsical, meme-filled world.
Minneapolis singer-songwriter EVV released the single “I’m Not Your Woman” this month, a defiant and dynamic ballad that shows off EVV’s powerhouse of a voice. (The song isn’t available on Spotify, but you can listen on Bandcamp.)
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